Cameroonian striker Samuel Eto’o has been linked to a host of clubs since his Chelsea contract expired this summer, with an unnamed MLS side now also understood to be in the race for his signature.

A long-time target for the league, Eto’o had been linked with a move to the USA in December and even admitted that he was considering a switch across the pond last month, before reported interest from the likes of Liverpool, Everton, Ajax and Tottenham Hotspur began to heat up.

However, MLS seemingly remains a serious option for the 33-year-old marksman, with the report cited on mlssoccer.com stating that the team in question would sign him to an ‘enormous’ deal, before loaning him back to the Premier League.

The suggestion of a loan back to England would appear to link Eto’o to one of the league’s two expansion sides, either Orlando City SC or New York City FC, who are not set for their MLS debut until 2015 and have both arranged loan moves for some of their previous signings thus far.

Both clubs have already splashed out on big-name players for next season, with Orlando adding Brazilian superstar Kaka, and NYCFC sealing the signatures of David Villa and Frank Lampard, but the pair have enough financial backing behind them to make a deal for the former Barcelona man work.

It goes without saying that Manchester City-backed NYCFC have the resources needed to match Eto’o’s potential wage demands, although the fact the club boasts Villa on their roster at this point might suggest that their expansion rivals are in fact the ones in contention.

No longer the star scorer he was during his prime, having netted 182 times in 302 total appearances between spells at Barcelona and Inter Milan, the Cameroon captain could, nevertheless, still offer MLS a great deal based on his 2013-14 campaign with Chelsea.

He chalked up a 12 goals in 34 games during that time spent at Stamford Bridge and, considering several of Europe’s top sides remain keen on him, the three-times Champions League-winner would no doubt be a massive addition for the league if a move did indeed materialise.

Freddie Shires

Freddie is a freelance sports writer, having recently completed an MA in Sports Journalism at St. Mary’s University, Twickenham. With an especially keen interest in all things American sports-related, he has written extensively about the NFL, MLS and the U.S. national team for various sites.